Merrill Lynch needed to spur interest for its second Toronto International Film Festival screening gala.

The financial services audience wasn’t familiar with the films shown at TIFF, often dismissing them as artsy fluff. The invitation I developed was the first point-of-contact with potential guests. To pique interest, I designed a belly band highlighting films that went on to mainstream success, then introduced the gala.

In addition to the invitation, I also developed digital communications and environmental graphics.

Merrill Lynch needed to drive adoption of its new, consolidated platform called Merrill Lynch One.

Many stakeholders were resistant to the change, not realizing that the consolidated solution addressed many of the concerns they had with the prior bevy of platforms. I laid out and staged the massive 3600-square-foot floor plan to allow for both self-guided tours and tailored one-on-one sessions.

To encourage attendees to linger in the environment, I also developed a series of branded refreshments. We then extended the brand experience by sending refreshments to offices as thank-yous and periodic reminders.

In addition to the floor plan, staging, and branded refreshments, I also designed environmental graphics, collateral, and digital communications.